Method of forming helmets



Sept. 28, 1943. I E. E. OESTRIKE METHOD OF FORMING HELMETS Filed Feb. 6. 1940 3 Shee ts-Sheet 1 Sept. 28, 1943.

E. E, OESTRIKE METHOD OF FORMING'HELMETS I F iled Feb.

6, 1940 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Zmnentor Elmer Oestmke f Gttorncxi PatenteclSept. 28, 1943 METHOD or 2,330,732. ORMING E M Elmer E. Oestrike, Detroit, Mich. 1 Application February 6, 1940, Serial No. 317,483

17 Claims.

I This inventionrelatesto methods of form ing helmets and particularly helmets for administering scalp treatments. j d

It has been found beneficial, in cases of eX- cessive loss of hair" and other subnormal scalp of'the same.

conditions, to subject the scalp to alternating conditions of depressed air pressure and substantially atmospheric pressure, and various types of helmets have, been designed to apply such treatments. Such helmets have been adopted quite commonly to applyvarying air pressures within chambers continuously overlying considerable*scalpareas, and ithas been found that the scalp reactions are almost entirely limited to the air-sealed peripheries of such areas. intermediate regions of such areas cannot materially respond to such treatments unless an impractically high pressure differential is employed under alternating conditions of the treatment. Prior helmets furthermore have been designed of a size to accommodate allpatients, with resultant necessity for wherein small scalp areas may be'subjected to varying air pressures. a Another object is to provide a simple and effective method for forming the desired cavities and passages interconnecting them. H j 1 Another object is to so construct a helmet for scalp treatments that its deterioration by sterilizing alcohol and by oils and salvesjwill be minimized. I,

In attaining the foregoing and various other objects, there is employed the apparatus and successive steps illustrated in the accompanying drawin gs, wherein: f

Fig. 1 isa perspective View of a cap adapted to be snugly fitted on a patients head toreceive a plastic helmet-forming materialn V Fig. 2 is a vertical sectional View of ahelmet as formed on said cap.

Fig. 3 is a bottomview of the helmet, as removed from the patient, showing said cap partially stripped from the helmet. y

Fig. 4 is a vertical sectional view of thehelmet, as used to administer treatment. H

Fig. 5 is a perspective View of the helmet as partially completed by'a modified method. I

ig, 6 is'a fragmentary verticalsectional view Fig. '7 shows in fragmentary vertical section a helmet, as completed by the modified method.

ig. 8 is -a"frag'mentary View of the-capused in them'odifiedmethod'.

The capl shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3 is formed preferably of strong sheet rubber, shaped to snugly fit a patients head and thoroughly cover the, hair, flattening the latter against thejscalp. Cemented or otherwise firmly exteriorly secured to the crown portion of the cap isa plurality of small "hemispherical core elements 2, preferably rubber and "disposed in parallel rows, the cap being' engaged by theirplane faces. Opening into the curvedface of each intermediate core elemen't-fare two sockets 3, approximatelyradial to such race; and three such sockets are formed in theen'd' elements of therows. Inserted and fric tionally-retainedin the sockets 3 areshort flexible connections 4 preferably of rubber, interponnecting the elements 2'01. each row and further interconne'cting the end" elements of the several rows. It is feasible and preferable to applythe connections 4, as described, before placing the cap on a patients head, Around the lower portion of the cap there -"isengaged a thickband 5 of sponge rubber or the like, suit ably tensionedtohold it-in place. The cap is tightly stretched to firmly-engage the scalp and hair by attaching to its periphery cords 6 suspending weights 1. These weights permitof accurate predeterminationof the applied tension.

There is now applied to the cap a heavy coating of a' 'quick-settingplastic material of spreading consistencypsuch as dental stone, plaster of Paris or plasticwood. The helmet structure 8 When sufficiently' hardened, the helmet is removed to- 'gether: with the rubber cap, and thelatter is stripped off, as'Fig. 3 illustrates. In stripping the cap .from the helmet, the 'connection's are released from the sockets 3 and retained in the helmet, their ends being exposed within cavities 9 cored in the dome portion of the helmet by the elements ,Said exposed ends permit the con nections '4 to be readily withdrawn,- leaving cored passages, m interconnecting thecavities 9. Thus,

througha fitting l l' applied to one of the cavities ,Btake equal efiect in all of said cavities.

isftoibef noted that machines for inducing the impervious to air.

desired variations are in common use and well known to the medical profession. To complete the helmet, a sealing means may be applied to its lower margin to supplement the seal provided 7 by the helmet itself-in preventing air flow between such margin and patients head. Fig. 4 discloses such a means formed by a band of sheet rubber I2 embracing the lower or rim portion of the helmet and so projecting below such portion as to further {embrace the head of a pa- In the modified method of forming the helmet, illustrated by Figs. 5, 6, '7 and 8, the cap I as first described is used, and has permanently attached thereto hemispherical core elements 2 differing from those first described only in omission of the 7 stantially embedding said projections, removing as a unit the helmet together with said covering and its projections, and separating the covering together with its projections from the, helmet.

' 5. In a method of forming a scalp-treating Y helmet, individually fitted to a patient, the steps sockets 3. Plastic material is appliedto a depth suflicient to fully embed said elements, and the helmet thus formed is removed, when hardened,

together with .the cap. After .strippingofi the latter, two divergent openings 14 are drilled through thedome portion of each cavity 15 to the outer face of the helmet. Short lengths of I metal tubing it are now mserted lnthe openings plastic material to embed all of the connections 4.6.. (Fig.7.) a I I The helmet produced by either described method closely fits an individual ,patient and no other. In either case, the dome portion of the helmet is formed with a consid-erable number of spaced cavities and with intervening -.are as adapted to conform closely to and seat upon the scalp. In each describedhelmet, the several cavities are .so interconnected that variations of air pressure imposed in one cavity are transmitted to all.

The described methods of production are inexpensive and the resulting helmets maybe used repeatedly until the patient has received any necessary course of treatments, however extensive.

What IcIa-im-is:

1. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the steps of applying to the patientfs scalp -,a tightfitting covering, embracing the lower portion of said covering by an elastic band tensioned to hold it in place, and applying to the area of said covering exposed above the band a thick helmetforming coating of quick-settingpi1astic material, substantially impervious to air, whereby said "band defines a lower edge of the helmet.

2.111 a method of forming .ascalp-treating helmet and individually fitting it to a patient,

I lithe steps'of applying to the patients scalp an elastic weightingthe capto stretch it tightly upon the scalp and applyin to the cap a thick helmetdormingcoating of quick-setting plastic material, substantially impervious to air.

3. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individual-lyfitting it to a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp an elastic cap, applying and maintaining a predetermined tension on the lower portion of the cap to hold it stretched in tight engagement with the scalp, and applying to the cap a helmet-forming coating of quick-setting plastic material, substantial1y 4. In a method of formin ascalp-treatin helmet and fitting it individually to a patient, the

of applying to the patients scalp a tight-fitting flexi-ble cap'having affixed thereto a plurality of spaced, core-forming projections and passage- -forming-core members detachably secured to and interconnecting the projections, applying to the cap a helmet-forming coating of quick-setting plastic material substantially impervious to air, and completely embedding the projections and interconnecting members, separating the helmet, when set, from the cap together with the interconnecting member's, and removing the interconnecting members from the helmet.

5. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individually fitting it to .a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp a tightfitting flexible covering carrying a plurality of spaced core-forming projections, applying to the covering a helmet-forming coating of quicksetting plastic material, substantially impervious to air and embedding the projections, removing as a unit the helmet together with said covering and its projections, progressively separating the covering and its projections from the helmet, and establishing communication between the helmet cavities formed by the projections.

'7. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individually fitti-ng it to a patient, thesteps of applying to the patients scalp a tight-fitting flexible cap carrying a plurality oi spaced core-iormingprojections, applying to the cap a helmet-forming -coating oio-uick-setting plastic material, substantially impervious to air and embedding the projections, separating the helmet from the cap, extending at least one pas- .sa-ge from each cavity to the outer face of the helmet, and applying tubular members to the helmet insealed engagement with said passages, and thereby rendering all of the cavities intercommunicating.

8. In a method of forming acne-piece helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the step of molding. the helmet on the patients head and concurrently forming the helmet with a plurality of spaced cavities interrupting the interior face of the helmet, and opening in diverse directions. 9. In a method of forming a one-piece helmet and individually fitting. it to .a patient, the step of molding the helmet on the patientshead and concurrently forming the helmet with a plurality of spaced cavities interrupting the interior face of the helmet and with passages interconnecting such cavities.

10. In a method of forming a helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp a tight-fitting flexible covering carrying a plurality of spaced coreforming projections, applying to the covering a coating of quick-setting plastic material substantially embedding the projections, separating the helmet from the covering and projections, applying to the helmet tubular members forming passages for rendering the cavities cored by the projections intercommunicating, and applymet through the cavities formed by the projecing a further coating of plastic material to airseal the joints between the tubular members and the cavities.

11. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp a tight-fitting covering, snugly engaging said covering by a band encircling the patient's headto define the lower edge of the helmet, and applying to area of the covering exposed above the band a helmet-forming coating of quick-setting material, substantially impervious to air.

12. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp an expansible cap, applying a predetermined downward tension to the cap at its lower edge, and

applying to the tensioned cap a helmet-forming 15. In a method of forming, a scalp-treating.

coating of quick-setting plastic material, substantially impervious to air.

13. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the steps of applying tothe patients scalp a tight-fitting expansible cap, applying a predetermined downward tension to*the cap at its lower edge, snugly engaging said cap by a band encircling the patients head to define the lower edge of the helmet, and applying to area of the tensioned cap exposed above the band a helmetforming coating of quick-setting plastic material substantially impervious to air.

14. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet individually fitted to a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp a tight-fitting flexible cap having aflixed thereto a plurality of spaced, core-forming projections and'having removably inserted in such projections the extremities of flexible passage-forming core members interconnecting the projections, applying to the cap a helmet-forming coating of quick-setting plastic material, substantially impervious to air and completely embedding the projections and interconnecting members, separating the helmet, when set, from the cap, and thereby withdrawing the interconnecting members from the projections, and removing said members from the helelongated members tions.

helmet and individually fitting it to a patient, the steps of applying to the patients scalp a tight-fitting flexible cap exteriorly carrying a plurality of spaced core-forming projections, ap-' plying to the cap a helmet-forming coating of quick-setting plastic material substantially impervious to air and substantially embedding the projections, separating the helmet, as partially formed by said material, from the cap and projections, the interior face of said helmet being formed with cavities by said projections, exteriorly applying to the partially formed helmet interconnecting adjacent cavities, such members being adapted to render the cavities intercommunicating, and applying a further coating of plastic material to the partially formed helmet adequate to embed the interconnecting members.

16. In a method of forming from plastic material a scalp-treating helmet having spaced cavities opening in its interior face, the steps of embedding in the helmet in the course of its formation, flexible connections havingend portions extending into said cavities, and withdrawing said connections from the helmet through the cavities to form passages interconnecting the cavities.

17. In a method of forming a scalp-treating helmet of plastic material and individually fitting such helmet to a patient, the formation of a plurality of spaced cavities in the interior face of the helmet by applying at least a portion of the plastic material to aflexible cap tightly fitting the patients head and carrying core members for the production of said cavities, and the,

45 ties.

ELMER E. OESTRIKE. 

